LYNN — Times have definitely changed for women in the trades field, and Kenell Broomstein says she witnessed it firsthand.
Fourteen years ago, the Lynn native joined the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 103 as the only woman in her crew. She worked her way up the ladder and is now, at 34 years old, representing the union’s 8,500 members as its business agent. Last week, Broomstein was one of three honorees to receive the New England Women’s Leadership Award, during a ceremony at the Seaport Hotel in Boston hosted by the Boys & Girls Club of Dorchester. The other two honorees were Yvonne Garcia, chief of staff to the CEO of State Street, and Noelle Lambert, founder of The Born To Run Foundation.
“I was extremely honored and in awe,” Broomstein said. “I do the things I do because I care and I want to see these young kids have a future and be able to have the same opportunities that I had in life. They can bloom, blossom and become whatever they set their minds to and I want to be there to guide them to the best of my ability.”
The Lynn Tech alumna said she was recognized by the club after speaking in front of its students a number of times over the years, given her son used to be a member. She said some of the after-school program’s staff heard her story and asked her to share it.
“Life doesn’t always work out the way you think it will,” she said.
Broomstein grew up in Lynn, the oldest of four girls, with parents who were addicted to drugs and alcohol, she said. By the age of 11, she said she was a victim of physical, sexual and emotional abuse. She and her sisters were taken out of their home and separated. They weren’t reunited until a few years later.
At age 15, Broomstein said her father regained custody of her and, slowly, regained custody of her three younger sisters as well. Given she was at the age where she had to start high school, she said her father suggested she apply to Lynn Tech. She was accepted into the trades school soon after.
Throughout high school, she took electrical classes and worked a retail job. Toward the end of her Lynn Tech career, she applied to become a member of IBEW Local 103 but was not accepted. She applied for a second time and, again, was not accepted.
When she applied for the third time, she was accepted into the telecommunications, which, according to her, is low-voltage wiring that pays $10 less than a licensed electrician. She spent time on the field, learning more about the trade, she said.
At 20 years old, Broomstein said she applied to Local 103 for a fourth time, and received a full acceptance.
“It definitely wasn’t easy,” she said. “I had my share of working in the field in the cold, rain and all types of climates. I worked with individuals that were difficult to deal with because they were not supportive of women, especially black women, in the trades.”
Broomstein said when she started the job nearly 15 years ago, she was the only woman, and the only person of color, on her crew. Her crew members weren’t supportive, and she said it took her a while to learn how not to respond in a negative way.
“They made me feel less than and would circle tasks around to other people, refusing to acknowledge I was there,” she said. “They would purposefully make me want to not show up by doing things like making me carry lights from one end of the building to the other just because they could, not because it was necessary. As a young girl, I didn’t realize. Now that I’ve grown and evolved, I understand what is acceptable and what is not.”
The experience was a culture shock, she said, but times have definitely changed. A few years ago, Broomstein said she ran into the crew she started out working with as the only female, and it had six women on it, with a variety of races and ethnicities.
The mother of two said she is looking forward to continuing her work and sharing her story. In regards to her award, she said her two boys brag about it more than she does.
“I am excited to be able to have these open conversations at the same table as the white, older men who hold most of these higher up positions,” Broomstein said. “I am glad I am there, but I am waiting for more women to join.”